The recent ‘Arrow‘ and DC comics discussions from the TCA press tour didn’t give us much insight into progress on the forthcoming ‘Flash‘ spinoff pilot, but at least we know the casting has moved full speed ahead. ‘Law & Order’ alum, ‘Rent’ originator and ‘Smash‘ guest star Jesse L. Martin has zoomed into the ‘Flash’ cast in a leading role, but which comic character might he portray?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Martin will take the series regular role of Detective West, a father figure of sorts to Grant Gustin‘s Barry Allen. He’s also the actual father to comic character and traditional Flash love interest Iris West, the family’s race adjusted for The CW’s adaptation. Previously, ‘Ghostbusters‘ alum Ernie Hudson had been in the running (heh) for the role.

Says the CW’s casting description of Martin’s new role:

DETECTIVE WEST – Late ’40s to Early ’50s – African American -Detective West is an honest, blue-collar cop who’s seen it all. A soulful, funny caring father to Iris, and a surrogate father to Barry, West came up through the foster system himself. He took in Barry after his mother’s murder and his father’s imprisonment. He believes in Barry and supports Barry’s efforts to prove his father’s innocence.

Little else is known of The CW’s ‘Flash’ spinoff, though it was decided the character would be given his own pilot rather than return for the 20th installment of ‘Arrow”s second season as originally intended. Casting remains ongoing for the role of Iris West, as well as both the Flash’s best friend and arch-nemesis characters, both rumored to be that of two major DC comics characters.

We’ll keep you up to date on the latest from the ‘Flash’ pilot, but what say you? Does Jesse L. Martin add any credit to the ‘Arrow’ spinoff? Who else would you like to see in the supporting roles? Get a taste of Barry’s origins below, and give us your thoughts in the comments!

Welcome back to LITE 98.7

It appears that you already have an account created within our VIP network of sites on . To keep your points and personal information safe, we need to verify that it's really you. To activate your account, please confirm your password. When you have confirmed your password, you will be able to log in through Facebook on both sites.

*Please note that your points, prizes and activities will not be shared between programs within our VIP network.

Welcome back to LITE 98.7

It appears that you already have an account on this site associated with . To connect your existing account just click on the account activation button below. You will maintain your existing VIP profile. After you do this, you will be able to always log in to http://lite987.com using your original account information.